Global Mapper v25.0

Export Scaled Vector Data

PWCJ
PWCJ Global Mapper User
edited March 2013 in Vector Data
Is there a solution to exporting scaled vector data so that it matches and stays consistent with the resolution or scale of the exported raster data?
I found some earlier posts concerning this but, nothing recent.
Thanks.

Comments

  • global_mapper
    global_mapper Administrator
    edited March 2013
    Vector data stores the actual ground coordinates for each vertex so the scale isn't really very meaningful other than as an indicator of how accurate the placement of the coordinates is expected to be. To match up vector data to raster the application needs to be aware of ground coordinates and how to map the pixel coordinates of the raster to real-world ground coordinates. Then they should just line up automatically.

    Thanks,

    Mike
    Global Mapper Guru
    gmsupport@bluemarblegeo.com
    http://www.bluemarblegeo.com/
  • PWCJ
    PWCJ Global Mapper User
    edited March 2013
    Thanks Mike. Maybe I didn't ask the right question. I am having the same issue as a previous poster from 2008:

    "Is there a way to scale the vector graphics with the image exported? Basically, if I export the image at a high resolution, all my text, lines, and point symbols shrink (or rather, don't scale) and are sometimes not even noticeable."

    I am trying to export a large map and end up with the graphics and text on the map extremely small. The vector info does remain where it is supposed to be.
  • global_mapper
    global_mapper Administrator
    edited March 2013
    Ah I see what you are after. That is because most vector features are signed as a fixed number of pixels, so when you export to a raster file with very small pixels, those features get quite small. One way to fix this is to make your line widths, text heights, and point symbols sizes be specified as a fixed size in meters rather than a point/pixel size. Then they are the same size on the map relative to other features, so they will get bigger as you zoom in and smaller as you zoom out.

    Another thing to try is printing to a file. The print operation automatically scales vector features by the difference in DPI of the printer to screen which typically expands several times. Finally if you export to a PDF you can manually specify a scaling factor. In addition some default DPI-based scaling is done as well.

    Thanks,

    Mike
    Global Mapper Guru
    gmsupport@bluemarblegeo.com
    http://www.bluemarblegeo.com/
  • PWCJ
    PWCJ Global Mapper User
    edited March 2013
    OK. That all makes sense. I am exporting to a tiff file which just seems easiest to me.
    I believe I have got the line widths and text heights figured out by assigning them a specific size and width etc. Can't seem to figure out how to change the size or how to assign a fixed size when it comes to symbols such as interstate and highway shields.
  • global_mapper
    global_mapper Administrator
    edited March 2013
    Ah the one type of size you can't do for a normal export is highway shield. They will be scaled automatically if you print to a file (you can do a GeoTIFF) or if you export a PDF you can specify a scale value to use. Something we should probably add on export is a way to scale vector features manually.

    Thanks,

    Mike
    Global Mapper Guru
    gmsupport@bluemarblegeo.com
    http://www.bluemarblegeo.com/
  • PWCJ
    PWCJ Global Mapper User
    edited March 2013
    Well, no wonder I haven't been able to figure it out.
    "Something we should probably add on export is a way to scale vector features manually."

    That would be fantastic if you did.
    Are you saying that I can print to a GeoTIFF file and maybe get the results I'm looking for? If so, do I need a special print driver or just one I happen not to have at the moment.
    I did try to export to PDF but system didn't seem to like that. Had to force GM to close.
  • global_mapper
    global_mapper Administrator
    edited March 2013
    Yes right now if you use File->Print you can choose to print to a file and one of the options is TIFF, which generates a GeoTIFF. As a print it also has the effect of scaling the vector features as it knows the DPI of the output device based on what you select for the printer.

    You don't need a special print driver, just any installed printer will do for setting up the output.

    I have added a new task item (#11577) for adding the scaling option for all raster exports.

    Thanks,

    Mike
    Global Mapper Guru
    gmsupport@bluemarblegeo.com
    http://www.bluemarblegeo.com/
  • global_mapper
    global_mapper Administrator
    edited March 2013
    Yes right now if you use File->Print you can choose to print to a file and one of the options is TIFF, which generates a GeoTIFF. As a print it also has the effect of scaling the vector features as it knows the DPI of the output device based on what you select for the printer.

    You don't need a special print driver, just any installed printer will do for setting up the output.

    I have added a new task item (#11577) for adding the scaling option for all raster exports.

    Thanks,

    Mike
    Global Mapper Guru
    gmsupport@bluemarblegeo.com
    http://www.bluemarblegeo.com/
  • PWCJ
    PWCJ Global Mapper User
    edited March 2013
    Great. I'll give it a shot. Is it normal for the output to take a little longer?

    The task item is an enhancement to a future edition or update and not something available now?

    Thanks for all your help!
  • global_mapper
    global_mapper Administrator
    edited March 2013
    The output could take a bit longer, depending on the resolution that ends up being used for the printout vs. what you used for a normal export. For printing the DPI setting for the printer controls the resolution of the resulting file.

    The task item is for inclusion in a future release, it's not available now.

    Thanks,

    Mike
    Global Mapper Guru
    gmsupport@bluemarblegeo.com
    http://www.bluemarblegeo.com/
  • global_mapper
    global_mapper Administrator
    edited March 2013
    The output could take a bit longer, depending on the resolution that ends up being used for the printout vs. what you used for a normal export. For printing the DPI setting for the printer controls the resolution of the resulting file.

    The task item is for inclusion in a future release, it's not available now.

    Thanks,

    Mike
    Global Mapper Guru
    gmsupport@bluemarblegeo.com
    http://www.bluemarblegeo.com/
  • PWCJ
    PWCJ Global Mapper User
    edited March 2013
    Hi Mike,
    No go on the PDF export which contained 67 separate image files. Opens fine with adobe reader but, will not open in photoshop which is my next step. Raster imagery was ok but, the interstate and road shields still did not scale up. They remained tiny little dots on the image.
    Also, no go on print to file. I may be limited here due to the size of the output which is 96" x 84". I check "print to image file" and am asked to select a file name, click ok and then am asked to select the printer. There is a "print to file" check box there also and when selected and ok is pressed, I'm asked for the file name again. Two choices - *.prn or *.tiff and neither one results in a useable image.
    I can get what I need, through trial and error, by changing the size of the text and lines on the image but need a work around for scaling the interstate and road shields and other icons/symbols. Any other ideas?
  • global_mapper
    global_mapper Administrator
    edited March 2013
    When you did the PDF export there is an option to combine all of the raster layers. You might want to do that to keep the size manageable. There are also symbol and label/font scaling options on the PDF export so you can manually specify how to scale the results.

    You only want the 'Print to File' option on the setup dialog from Global Mapper and not the one from the printer itself. The print setup is just to setup the output size and resolution. If you just use the Global Mapper 'Print to File' (the one with JPG, PNG, TIFF, and BMP) does that generate anything usable?

    If not, the other option is I might add the scaling option easily for a normal TIFF export where you specify a DPI for the output and then save the manual scaling override option for later.

    Thanks,

    Mike
    Global Mapper Guru
    gmsupport@bluemarblegeo.com
    http://www.bluemarblegeo.com/
  • PWCJ
    PWCJ Global Mapper User
    edited March 2013
    No matter what I set in the pdf export, I still get numerous files. About 62 or so when I check it and over 100 when I don't. I missed the scaling option earlier but, that seems to work.

    I am presented with the printer dialouge from the printer itself no matter what I do. I don't have a printer that will accomadate the size of the output (96 x 84) so, that may be the issue. I have not been able to output anything useable.

    Don't really understand your third option.
  • global_mapper
    global_mapper Administrator
    edited March 2013
    I'm not sure I understand, you are getting separate files? Are you using the Gridding tab when exporting to PDF to split your export into multiple pieces or something? I would expect just a single output PDF file for a single PDF export operation unless you choose to split the export into different grid cells.

    The 3rd option I discussed was me adding some new functionality to allow vector scaling for GeoTIFF export like for PDF, just with an automatic setting based on the DPI rather than a manual entry which would take longer. This option won't be needed if you can get the other one working.

    Thanks,

    Mike
    Global Mapper Guru
    gmsupport@bluemarblegeo.com
    http://www.bluemarblegeo.com/products/global-mapper.php
  • PWCJ
    PWCJ Global Mapper User
    edited March 2013
    No grid selected but, I do get rows and columns.
    Here you can see the 4th image in the 1st row being drawn.
    sample.jpg

    Once output, if I try to open in photoshop I've got two choices. I can select pages, of which there is one, and photoshop crashes. Or I can select images, of which there are 67 (25 images of symbols and 42 raster images) I can select all the images at this point and open them but with this option they, of course, open as separate files.

    Point Symbol scaling does not seem to be working. I've tried different factors and all stays the same.
    Here you can see an interstate sheild a 100%. Scaling factor was 4.
    sample2.jpg
  • global_mapper
    global_mapper Administrator
    edited March 2013
    Global Mapper does break up raster layers into a bunch of smaller individual images inside the PDF file which appears to be what you are seeing. I'm guessing Photoshop is loading all of those into memory and crashing when it runs out of space. Can you run Task Manager and see how much memory Photoshop is using? Is it possible to export at a lower DPI from Global Mapper and still get acceptable results, just with a much smaller file size and lower resolution?

    I tried setting higher Point Symbol Scaling Factor values when exporting from Global Mapper and I got larger road icon shields as expected. What version of Global Mapper are you using for the export? The icons may not have always scaled with the Point Symbol Scale Factor like they do in the latest.

    Thanks,

    Mike
    Global Mapper Guru
    gmsupport@bluemarblegeo.com
    http://www.bluemarblegeo.com/products/global-mapper.php
  • PWCJ
    PWCJ Global Mapper User
    edited March 2013
    I exported at a resolution of 150 dpi and was able to open in photoshop but, will need a higher resolution for printing. Tried again to export at 300 dpi and photoshop crashes when trying to open. Photoshop never goes above 2.4 GB of memory.

    I bumped the scaling factor up to 10 for the symbols and saw a change. They get bigger but, the resolution doesn't seem to change. I'm using GM version 14.
    sample3.jpg
  • global_mapper
    global_mapper Administrator
    edited March 2013
    The icon scaling wouldn't make them any higher resolution as they are just low-res raster icons, so they will look pretty bad if you make them huge.

    Do you have the 64-bit version of Photoshop (if there is one, I'm actually not sure)? Otherwise the 32-bit one will be limited to between 2-4GB of RAM and you are likely running out of it. I would expect a 64-bit version of Photoshop to handle much large images.

    Thanks,

    Mike
    Global Mapper Guru
    gmsupport@bluemarblegeo.com
    http://www.bluemarblegeo.com/
  • PWCJ
    PWCJ Global Mapper User
    edited March 2013
    Looks like I'm going to have to create my own icons or come up with another work around and place them after the fact.

    I am using a 64 bit version of photoshop. If I output the file as a geotiff from GM 1 to 1, I end up with a file size of about 52 GB. PS opens that fine. Not sure why it won't open the large PDF file. Doesn't matter now anyway since the icons and shields don't enlarge smoothly.